Peter Raven Under Fire by Michael Molloy

In Paris, General Ancre, head of France''s secret service, meets with Napoleon and is sent as an envoy to the extremely wealthy, appallingly sadistic, and quite mad Count Vallon on his Caribbean island. It''s Portsmouth, England, 1800, and 13-year-old Peter Raven boards the Dolphin as a midshipman. It would be best for deeper collections, or where high-seas adventure and historical fiction are popular.-Christina Stenson-Carey, Albany Public Library, NY Booklist 8/05 Molloy, Michael. This long book, which promises to be the first in a series, is indeed an epic. Molloy''s writing is intelligent and engaging, allowing readers to experience one part of the struggle for political and economic control of the Americas. Fast paced with multiple plot twists, the story sails from the English Channel to Paris to the Caribbean and back. Together, these three outwit politicians and outfight pirates. When powerful, sadistic pirates murder everyone on the ship except Peter and jack-of-all-trades Matthew Book, the protagonist finds himself apprenticed to a British spy, Commodore Beaumont.

In England, midshipman Peter Raven, 13, is assigned to HMS Torren. To this end, he needs money to defeat the superior British Navy and to exploit Louisiana for the greatest gain. In 1800, continuous war has depleted France''s treasury, but Napoleon still wants to expand his empire. Gr 5-8-This is a thoroughly researched and exciting tale of war, piracy, and intrigue. Replete with colorful characters, the good ones clearly separated from the evil, plus full measures of danger, intrigue and romance, this seagoing epic is tailor-made for beach reading.

Backed by a supporting cast of familiar types, many many of whom die in often-brutal ways, the three meet, part and meet again on the way to a properly melodramatic climax.

It''s up to secret agent Paul Beaumont and his quick-study new protTgT Peter not only to foil the plot, but also to spring Lucy Cosgrove, a socialite more comfortable with a long rifle in her hands than a fan, from the clutches of Vallon, who has whisked her away to his hidden Caribbean fortress. To refill his treasury and take firmer hold of his American possessions, Napoleon has struck a deal with Count Vallon, a fabulously wealthy and utterly psychotic pirate king. Forester and Patrick O''Brian-Malloy fashions a quick-paced historical doorstopper that sends a British spy, a brilliant young midshipman and a beautiful American heiress crisscrossing the Atlantic. 12)) Freely imitating (as is his wont) classic tales-particularly, in this case, the nautical fiction of C.S.

Peter Raven Under Fire by Michael Molloy